ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Defence
Welfare Scheme For War Widows
Ministry of defence time to time reviews the various welfare measures presently extended to war widows/families in Armed Forces.
The following changes have been made in the existing welfare schemes administered by Kendriya Sainik Board:-
- The scheme of ‘Financial Assistance to 100% Disabled children of Ex-Servicemen /widows’ was applicable only upto the rank of Havildar  and below. The same is being extended upto the Rank of Junior Commissioned Officers  ESMs/widows . Additionally the earlier grant of Rs 1000/- per month has now been increased to Rs 3000/- per month.
The Service Headquarters also make suitable changes in their schemes with an aim to provide best possible support to the families of deceased soldiers / War Widows. The Indian Air Force  has made the following changes in the selection process for officers in the IAF:
- The ceiling for eligibility for widows of deceased defence personnel has been raised to a maximum of 35 years of age at the time of entry at pre-commissioning training institute, except for the flying branch for which Service Head Quarters shall specify the age limit as per service requirements.
- Widows with children be accepted.
The compassionate appointments are being made by concerned Service Headquarters of Army, Navy and Air Force to widows / families of defence personnel.
The following number of Compassionate Appointments have been given to widows/families of defence personnel:
Air Force : 30 
Navy : 35 
Army : The requisite details are not readily available as
compassionate appointment are made by concerned Line Directorates.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Dr TR Paarivendhar in Lok Sabha on April 01, 2022.
Prime Minister's Office
The vibrant Tamil culture is popular globally: PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has responded to a tweet by Singapore Prime Minister, H.E. Lee Hsien Loong where the Singapore Premier informed that he celebrated a belated Pongal with residents from AMK, Kebun Baru & YCK.
Responding to the tweet, the Prime Minister said;
“This is gladdening to see. The vibrant Tamil culture is popular globally.”
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets His Holiness Dalai Lama on his 86th birthday
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has spoken to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to convey greetings on his 86th birthday.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Spoke on phone to His Holiness the @DalaiLama to convey greetings on his 86th birthday. We wish him a long and healthy life."
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Storage capacity in the country
Against total stocks of 529.59 LMT , the total storage capacity available with Food Corporation of India  and the State Agencies , is 819.19 LMT .
Total production of Rice and Wheat in the country during the last five years and current year is as under:

|
|
Kharif Marketing Season / Rabi Marketing Season 
|
|
Wheat
|
|
Rice
|
|
2015-16
|
|
865.26
|
|
1044.07
|
|
2016-17
|
|
922.88
|
|
1097.00
|
|
2017-18
|
|
985.12
|
|
1115.20
|
|
2018-19
|
|
971.10
|
|
1164.20
|
|
2019-20
|
|
1035.96
|
|
1184.25
|
|
2020-21
|
|
1075.92
|
|
1023.63As per First Advance Estimates of Production of foodgrains during 2020-21, published by Ministry of Agriculture.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri DanveRaosahebDadarao in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 613
India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 216.93 Crore
More than 9 lakh Vaccine doses administered today till 7 pm
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 216.93 Crore  today. More than 9 lakh  Vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight.
The cumulative coverage of vaccine doses, segregated based on population priority groups, is as follows:
|
|
Cumulative Vaccine Dose Coverage
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10414904
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
10114559
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
6953412
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
18436243
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
17711776
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
13525643
|
|
Age Group 12-14 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
40848783
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
31320096
|
|
Age Group 15-18 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
61885825
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
52878566
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
561112931
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
515149905
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
86611242
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
204001583
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
196820333
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
45207249
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
127648886
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
123046538
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
45689555
|
|
Cumulative 1st dose administered
|
|
1024349155
|
|
Cumulative 2nd dose administered
|
|
947041773
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
197987101
|
|
Total
|
|
2169378029
Today’s achievement in the vaccination exercise, segregated by population priority groups, is as follows:
|
|
Date: 20th September, 2022 
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
17
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
296
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
4635
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
28
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
316
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
8138
|
|
Age Group 12-14 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
15441
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
30915
|
|
Age Group 15-18 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
5539
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
13632
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
12096
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
39597
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
504158
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1963
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
8833
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
213109
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1193
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
6193
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
96193
|
|
Cumulative 1st dose administered
|
|
36277
|
|
Cumulative 2nd dose administered
|
|
99782
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
826233
|
|
Total
|
|
962292
The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
National Agriculture Market  is expanding to ease farmers
The pan-India trading portal is helping realize the vision of “One Nation, One Market” for agri-produce
Expansion of Integration of 1000 new mandis
National Agriculture Market popularly known as e-NAM was an innovative initiative in agricultural marketing to enhance farmer’s accessibility digitally to multiple numbers of markets & buyers and to bring transparency in trade transactions with the intent to improve price discovery mechanism, quality commensurate price realization and also to develop the concept of “One Nation One Market” for agriculture produce.
Better market linkage was provided under e-NAM by Integrating 1000 markets across 18 States and 3 UT. So far, more than 1.69 crore Farmers & 1.55 Lakh traders registered on e-NAM platform. The online and transparent bidding system is encouraging farmers to increasingly trade on e-NAM platform. Total trade volume of 4.13 Crore MT of bulk commodities &3.68 crore numbers of Coconut &Bamboo worth approximately Rs 1.22 Lakh crore has been recorded on e-NAM platform. Direct payment to Farmers was enabled in this platform.
Looking to the success of e-NAM in its 1000 mandis, it is now on a path of expansion as announced by Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget released on 1st February, 2021, i.e to further integrate 1000 more mandis with e-NAM, this will further strengthen the mandis.
During COVID-19, e-NAM platform /mobile app. has been further strengthened by launching FPO trading module in e-NAM where by FPOs can trade their produce from their collection center without bringing the produce to APMC. So far, 1844 FPOs have been on board on e-NAM platform. Additionally, Warehouse based trading module was also launched in e-NAM to facilitate trade from warehouses based on e-NWR. To facilitate inter-mandi and inter-state trade at this juncture, enhanced version of logistic module has been released where by aggregators of transport logistic platform have on boarded which helps users to avail trackable transport facilities for transporting their produce. Further the e-NAM platform is made inter operable with ReMS platform of Govt. of Karnataka which will facilitate famers of either platforms were can sell their produce in other platform thereby increasing their market access.
e-NAM is now developing as “Platforms of Platform” to create a digital ecosystem that leverage the expertise of individual platforms across various segments of agri. value chain viz. developing and Integrating service platform with e-NAM , enabling the farmers to add value to their produce and facilitate them with ease of agri marketing.
“e-NAM is not just a scheme but it’s a journey which aims to benefit the last mile farmer and transform the way they sell their agri produce. This intervention brings immense benefits to our farmers in augmenting their income by enabling them to realize competitive & remunerative prices in a transparent manner without incurring additional costs.”
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Union Agriculture and Farmers welfare Minister of India meets with Agriculture and Rural Development Minister of Israel at Jerusalem
A Round Table meeting between Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Narender Singh Tomar and Agriculture & Rural Development Minister of Israel, Mr. Oded Forer was held on 11-05-2022 in Parliament House, Jerusalem during the visit of Indian delegation to Israel. The Minister discussed various issues related to modern agro techniques, capacity building, transfer of knowledge know-how and support in the fields of agriculture, water management, environment and rural development with the Minister of Agriculture, Israel and other stakeholders, keeping in view the scope and potential of agriculture development in both the countries.
During the interaction, MASHAV’s agricultural cooperation programmes and other stakeholders professional training activities in India were appreciated. The Minister stated that Indian Government has to explore the possibilities to adopt MASHAV’s activities in India focusing on capacity building and transfer of knowledge for which Centres of Excellence will be established in each State.
The deliberations during the meeting of Indian delegation with Agriculture & Rural Development Minister of Israel were extremely beneficial for agriculture development in India.
President's Secretariat
President’s Holi Greetings
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in his message on the eve of Holi has said:-
“On the occasion of the joyous festival of Holi, I convey my greetings to all fellow citizens in India and abroad. This festival is a celebration of spring and of our sense of fraternity and mutual goodwill. May the confluence of colours bring positive energy to all our families and our shared society”.
Click here to to see the President's message in Hindi
Ministry of Science & Technology
Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022 inaugurated to foster collaboration among researchers
The Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022, which was inaugurated today, brought young researchers from the two countries together to share their research interests and build long-term research partnerships.
“Germany, with its long history of collaboration with India, is among the country’s top research collaborators in science, and Indian research students and young scientists visiting Germany has increased four times in the last decade,” Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary Science and Engineering Research Board  and Senior Advisor, Department of Science and Technology  pointed out while inaugurating the week-long programme.
During the programme, an initiative jointly organised by the SERB, India, and German Research Foundation , 30 promising young researchers from India and Germany will discuss and interact closely on various contemporary matters in chemical sciences.
The interaction will be the first of its kind among the researchers of two countries in the post-pandemic world. Each participant would deliver a research lecture and get an opportunity to interact closely with other participants. The main goal of the conclave is to foster collaboration among early and mid-career researchers and scientists who will be setting the agenda of scientific cooperation in the near future. The conclave is led by Prof Vinod K Singh from IIT Kanpur and Prof Burkhard König from University of Regensburg, Germany.
The event was also addressed by Prof Vinod K Singh from IIT Kanpur and Prof Burkhard König from University of Regensburg, and an overview was given by Dr. Praveenkumar Somasundaram from DST / SERB and Dr. Daniel Pursche from DFG.
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Ministry of Rural Development
Rural Development Secretary Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh chairs high-level meeting to review the progress and monitoring of Mission Amrit Sarovar
The Secretary Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress, monitor, and ensure the quality of Mission Amrit Sarovar here yesterday. Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, and Secretary, Rural Developmentof all States/Union Territories , State Nodal officer for the Mission Amrit Sarovar, DM/DC/CEOs of over 700 districts along with District Nodal officers of the Mission took part were also present on the occasion.
The Secretary Rural Development has emphasized conducting a final check of quality by every Stakeholder to ensure the sustainability of all the completed Amrit Sarovars. Further, he has also emphasised that the authorised functionaries should preferably be from a different Block of the District. Social audit team will be deployed for all such completed Amrit Sarovars wherein the Sarovar has been constructed/rejuvenated through Mahatma Gandhi NREGS funds or through the scheme wherein social audit is applicable. Sample checks of inspected sites will be done by the state/UTs teams.Apart from this, National Level Monitors  will be deployed for inspection of selected Amrit Sarovar. Further, an app for inspection reporting has been developed.
All State/ UTs to take the appropriate necessary action by making an action plan for physical inspection of all the completed Amrit Sarovars before the onset of monsoon latest by 10th June 2023 and do the necessary course correction for improvement of work and in case of lapses appropriate action should be ensured.
Mission Amrit Sarovar has been launched by Prime Minister on 24th April 2022 with an objective to provide sustainable water sources wherein every district is expected to construct/ rejuvenate a minimum of 75 Amrit Sarovar. The National target of 50,000 Amrit Sarovars has been achieved by following due guidelines of the Mission.
This Mission is being implemented with a whole of Government Approach in which 8 Central Ministries/Department namely Department of Rural Development, Department of Land Resources, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate changes, Ministry of Railway, Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways are participating. Also Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo-informaticshas been engaged as Technical partner for the Mission. The Mission works through the States and Districts, through refocusing of various schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, XV Finance Commission Grants, PMKSY sub schemes such as Watershed Development Component, Har Khet Ko Pani besides States’ own schemes. It may also be mentioned that the Mission encourages mobilization of citizen and non-govt resources for supplementing these efforts.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
DGFT has to Evolve from a Regulator to Facilitator – Suresh Prabhu
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Shri Suresh Prabhu, speaking at the Port Officers’ Meeting in New Delhi.
A two-day meeting of port officers organized by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade , of the Department of Commerce, ended today in New Delhi. The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Shri Suresh Prabhu, addressed the regional officers from different parts of the country and urged them to reorient their thinking to be a facilitator and not a regulator.
The Minister added that the regional officers have to take their job as a challenge and an opportunity as foreign trade is now a strategic issue for India as it not only benefits the domestic economy but also links the country with global trade. The Minister asked for greater engagement of regional officers with the state governments in order to boost exports. He urged DGFT to set up a committee headed by the chief secretary of states on all export promotion issues including logistics.
The Minister further added that officers of DGFT in the regions should identify districts with potential to export unique products and those officers who are able to fulfil their targets will be rewarded. He urged DGFT to organize regular orientation programmes for employees at all levels so that they are aligned to the mission of DGFT to serve exporters of the country.
During the two days’ deliberations the regional authorities of DGFT discussed various administrative issues being faced by them and measures to be taken for streamlining regulatory mechanisms for exports. During the discussions it was also decided that regional authorities of DGFT should conduct outreach programmes with exporters on all issues of the Department of Commerce.
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Shri Sailesh Assumed Charge as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs
Shri Sailesh, IAS, Assam-Meghalaya Cadre, 1985 batch, assumed the charge as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, today. The Minister of Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi took meeting with the Secretary and other senior officers of the Ministry and reviewed progress of scheme implementation for the welfare of minorities.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Shri Anurag Singh Thakur felicitates medal winners of 19th Asian Games today in New Delhi
Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur today felicitated athletes from the Asian Games who returned to India post finishing their competitions. The event was held at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi.
A total of 27 athletes from Shooting, Rowing, and Women's Cricket teams were felicitated by the Minister. The Women’s Cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, clinched a historic gold at the event, while a total of 5 medals  were won from Rowing. Most of the medals so far have come from Shooting, with our rifle, shotgun and pistol teams bagging 13 medals .
The Minister congratulated the athletes on their outstanding performances at the Asian Games. “I congratulate all the athletes and coaches. These feats have taken them years of toil. You might find some of the regions these history-making rowers belong from may have shortage of water, but they have bagged medals in a water sports event. We also got historic gold in Equestrian,” the Minister said.
“In Shooting we saw our spirit and resilience. From TOPS Athlete Sift Kaur Samra, who not only won Gold but also registered a world record score in the women’s 50m rifle 3P event to Khelo India Athlete Ruddranksh Patil, who won gold at the 10m air rifle, all of our shooters did exceptionally well,” added Shri Thakur.
The event on Thursday was attended by officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sports Authority of India as well as by the families and friends of the athletes.
Ministry of Defence
Government increases capital budget of BRO by 40%;
Focus on border areas development
In the 75th Year of India’s Independence, with sustained focus on infrastructure development the Government of India in its Union Budget for FY 2022-23 has increased the capital outlay for the Border Roads Organisation , by a record 40 percent, to Rs 3,500 crore as compared to Rs 2,500 crore in FY 2021-22.
In 2021, BRO executed a record number of infrastructure projects, at very high altitudes and in extreme weather conditions, amidst the raging pandemic. 102 roads and bridges at various places in the North-Western and Eastern States of the country where dedicated to the nation by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in the year 2021, this includes the World’s highest motorable road at Umling La, 19,024 feet.
The enhanced budgetary allocation is a reaffirmation of the Government’s resolve to focus on border area development. The BRO with its persistent commitment to enhancing connectivity to far-flung remote areas, irrespective of the terrain and weather conditions, is not just contributing to enhanced operational preparedness but making a very significant contribution towards socio-economic integration and development of the regions. This budgetary impetus will further facilitate BRO to construct bridges, roads and tunnels to assist in speedy mobilisation of the Armed Forces to strategically important sectors, further bolstering the security environment. It will also contribute significantly towards the overall economic growth of remote border areas specially in UT of Ladakh, J&K and the states of Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
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Ministry of Culture
Smt Meenakashi Lekhi flags off 40 LED vans to make people aware about Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign
Union Minister of State for Culture Smt Meenakashi Lekhi flagged off 40 LED vans today in New Delhi to give impetus to Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign.
On the occasion, Smt. Meenaksahi Lekhi motivated the public to take active part in the Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign by hoisting flags at their homes from 13th -15th August.
Union Minister also said, “Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and we have flagged off Video Vans to make people aware about the campaign.” Smt Meenakashi Lekhi urged the people to take part in the campaign enthusiastically to pay respect to our freedom fighters, to strengthen the feeling of patriotism and to ensure Jan Bhagidari in the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav which marks 75 years of India’s Independence.
The Union Minister also added “Whatever we do, the inspiration is always Tiranga and we live with it and can die for it.”
The vans will travel all across Delhi providing information about Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign and Amrit Mahotsav. The vans will also display information pertaining to the Tiranga Utsav to be organised at Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi on 2nd August.